This far away from home
by Salvation-in-a-can
Summary: After having survived Flight 815 Callie ends up at the Swan Station with Desmond! What happens as the two grow closer? Friendship or maybe more? NEW CHAPTER!
1. Caught in a net

This is my first attempt at a fic, so please don't stir-fry me in a wok ;)

I don't own LOST!

**Chapter 1**

"Ladies and gentlemen, the pilot has switched on the 'fasten seatbelt' sign. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts."

The stewardess's voice is still inside my head. We hit turbulence… and then the cabin was ripped apart and I wasn't wearing my seatbelt. But I'm alive. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest.

I'm lying down. I stretch my arm out and feel leafs and dirt between my fingers.

I open my eyes, starting to sit up slowly. I'm in a forest. Or is the term 'jungle' more fitting? I lean against a tree. It feels like I was run over by a bulldozer. How did I end up here? I was sitting in an airplane less than five minutes ago. Or have I been unconscious longer?

I lift my fingers up to feel my forehead, there's a bump there and my fingers become bloody. "Ow"…

My clothes have mud on them. There is a large cut on my thigh; my favorite pair of jeans now has a 2 inch tear in them… I shake my head at myself at the thought that my jeans concern me more than the cut in my leg. It hurts and probably has to be stitched. I put my fingers to the wound and a bit of blood tickles out, staining the denim even further.

After some time I realize that no one is going to find me if I'm alone. I should try to find out where I am and if anyone else survived. If help is coming then I shouldn't be too far away from the plane wreck.

I get up slowly, shifting my weight to the leg that isn't hurt. Just then it dawns on me that I'm in the middle of a _freaking_ jungle and that I haven't got a clue where the remains of the plane might be. The jungle is dense and I have no sense of direction.

Just then; I spot a dog. It looks just like the Labrador I had when I was a kid. I blink, but the dog is still there.

It looks at me and I start to walk towards it. Swiftly it turns and starts running away from me.

"Wait!" I yell, suddenly keen on following it. I try to keep up calling "here doggy" but it just keeps going.

I run as fast as my body will let me but the dog is gone. Now I'm starting to panic. I'm alone in the jungle. And I'm thirsty too.

I can see a clearing ahead of me and move towards it but the second I walk into it I'm caught in a net and now hanging in a tree.

Oh my God… that am I going to do? "Somebody please help me!" I scream at the top of my lungs, but to no avail. What is a net trap doing here anyway? Maybe its purpose is to catch animals… I look around frantically wondering what sort of animal this net was intended for.

All I can do is stay still and hope that the person who made the trap will show up.

Shit… I just survived a plane crash! My family must be so worried. They were going to pick me up at LAX… They probably think I'm dead…

All sorts of thoughts run through my mind, but after what seems like hours my body gives up and I drift off to sleep.


	2. Rescued?

I don't own LOST!

**Chapter 2**

I open my eyes slowly. I'm suddenly aware that I'm no longer dangling in a net. I'm on a bunk bed… In a room… Panic creeps up my spine. Where am I? How on earth did I get here? It can't be a hospital. The walls are grey and there are no windows. No night stand with flowers or my parents sitting across the bed looking relieved because I've finally woken up.

I throw my legs out of bed and walk over to the door. It's locked. I start pounding at it, but no one answers. Realizing my efforts are worthless I walk back to the bed and sit, resting my back against the wall. I'm still wearing my muddy clothes.

Then I remember the plane crash. Oh my God… The plane crash. And the jungle. How did I get out of the net? Am I rescued?

…No that's stupid. How would the rescuers have found me in the middle of the jungle? Whoever made that trap I stepped in must have found me and brought me with them. I lift my hand to the bump on my forehead. It has stopped bleeding but the cut in my leg is still raw.

Suddenly there's a noise at the door. I don't know what to do… I look around the room for something to protect myself with, but there's nothing in here at all. The door opens slowly, and a hand holding a gun becomes visible. Shit… what am I going to do?!

"Stay back or I'll shoot you" says a deep voice.

I jump up from the bed and consider slamming the door shut to twist the gun out of his hand, but he's already in the room pointing it at me. I take a couple of steps backwards and bump into the wall.

"What a warm welcome" I blurt out without thinking.

"Why are you here?" The question is voiced as a threat.

"I… I.." I stammer but this time no words find their way out.

"Why did you get caught in my net on purpose?" His eyes are dangerous.

"I didn't!" I suddenly yell, but he just continues.

"Did you people think you could fool me and take over this station too?"

"I… What are you talking about?! What people? What station?"

He walks towards me pointing the gun at my heart. Oh shit… He grabs me roughly by my chin and looks me hard in the eyes. Oh God… I really don't want to die… I inhale rapidly and squeeze my eyes shut. I can feel tears press behind my lids. A moment passes and when nothing happens I slowly open my eyes again.

"Are you telling me the truth?" he is searching my expression for an answer.

"I swear…. I don't know what…. you're talking about" I grasp.

He lets go of my chin and takes a step back, still eying me suspiciously.

"How did you get hurt?" he asks.

"I was in a plane crash. I woke up in the jungle like this… Where are we?"

He avoids my question by leaving the room. "Come on, I'll take a look at your cuts."

I hesitantly follow him out of the door, and into what appears to be a combined kitchen and living room. This makes no sense at all.

"Why don't you take a seat" he says pointing at a chair next to a dinner table.

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	3. Introduction

Still don't own Lost... Unfortunately...

Please review!

**Chapter 3**

I walk over and sit down. My mind is numb and I realize that I have dropped my jaw.

The room is big and there's a ping pong table standing across the kitchen. There is also a window above a seating area, but the blinds are pulled down, so only a lazy strip of sunshine illuminates the area. There are many doors and all are shut except the one the man is now walking through.

He is wearing a white t-shirt and a jump suit with a black and white logo. His hair is half long and he's clean shaven. I look down realizing that I'm wringing my hands, but I don't stop.

He comes over to the dinner table and pulls a chain out sitting in front of me. "I'm sorry if I… eh… scarred you before" he says while going through what looks like a first aid kit. It suddenly occurs to me that he has an accent which I can't quite locate. "It's ok" I say in a low voice. "You don't have visitors often?" he looks at me strangely "what do you mean?" I breathe a tiny laugh "I mean… that was a bit of a hostile way to treat someone you've just met".

One corner of his mouth curls up in a smile. "Was it, now?" "Well you haven't been a polite guest either, if I may say so". I look at him a bit confused "What do you mean?" "Well you haven't introduced yourself".

I become aware that I have dropped my jaw again. I must look quite befuddled… He's basically saying I'm bad-mannered when he was the one threatening me with a gun only minutes ago!

"Well, no offence, I didn't mead to be _rude, _but I didn't really get the chance before you pointed a gun at me!" I exclaim heatedly.

"None taken. I'm Desmond, by the way" he says, a smile still visible on his face.

He goes back to rummaging through his first aid kit. I give up and lean back in my chair. "My name's Calypso, but everyone calls me Callie" I say in a tone of defeat.

He pulls out a bottle with alcohol and a white cloth.

"I'll have to clean it before anything else" he says pointing at the bump on my forehead with the bottle.

As soon as the alcohol soaked cloth comes in contact with my cut I flinch.

"I know, but sit still; otherwise I might poke you in the eye". I try my best to stop squirming.

"It's not a deep cut or anything so I don't think you'll need stitches. It'll heal nicely" He says, unwrapping a band aid and placing it over the bump.

"Good..." I say lightly touching the band aid not really focusing.

"Now, that gash on your leg… that might be worse" he says while looking for a new cloth.

I feel my cheeks redden. Does he expect me to take of my jeans so he can look at it? Well… I debate with myself; it might be kind of hard to stitch with pants on…

When I don't answer him he gets up and walk into another room opening what sounds like a drawer "I think I have an old pair of shorts somewhere". I breathe out in relief. "Um, thanks"


	4. Stitches

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost… Sadly…

**Chapter 4**

When I get back to my chair, now wearing a pair of shorts that are too big, he's already threading a needle. I sit down again and roll the one leg up to reveal a two-inch cut about three inches above my kneecap.

He looks at the cut holding the cloth ready. "This is probably going hurt more than the one on your forehead". I nod slowly and take in a breath. The cloth touches my skin and it stings so badly I think I'm going to faint. The cut starts bleeding again and I grab my seat for support letting out a wail.

"I know it hurts but it has to be cleaned otherwise you could get an infection." He puts the cloth down and reaches for the needle.

"Are you ready?" He asks looking at me while pointing the needle towards the cut. "Yeah" I say, barely audible.

But suddenly an alarm goes of and a red light begins to flash above a door. I feel panic in the pit of my stomach and look around confused.

"Don't worry, it's just the computer" he says already on his way to the door. I start to get up but he waives a hand motioning for me to sit down.

I shift in my seat and I can now see him typing something on a computer. As quickly as the alarm began it's over again and he gets up from the computer and closes the door behind him.

"What was that all about?" I ask.

"I'll explain it later". He sits down again and grabs the needle.

"Wait. Do you even know how to stitch a wound?" I ask, realizing how anxious I just sounded.

"Well, today's your lucky day my dear, I was almost a doctor once, you see" he grins.

"Oh, um, okay" I feel stupid.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, and it hurts but I know it has to be done, so I bite down on my lip, trying to keep myself from making any noise. His hands are warm against my skin but they flinch as if he's not used to human touch. After a couple of minutes it's over, and I look down at my legs. One has smooth and even skin while the other now has a cut with black stitches and a dark shadow the size of a saucer surrounding it.

"In a couple of weeks it'll have healed; then it won't look so bad". I can hear he tries to comfort me. "No, it's not that… I just realized how lucky I am to be alive" I mutter. "Thanks for patching me up".


	5. Compromising

New chapter for your weekend! I don't own Lost… Darn… Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts – thanks ;)

**Chapter 5**

The warm water feels good against my bruised skin. I stand with closed eyes and take a deep relaxing breath. Desmond let me use the shower. I'm so grateful. My hair is tangled and almost impossible to straighten out. I even pulled a twig out of it. The shampoo is a brand called 'Dharma'… I have never heard of it before but it smells nice.

I can hear the alarm going of and stopping again a few seconds later.

I get dressed - he gave me a white t-shirt and the oversized shorts, but I decide not to put on my socks again. They are still muddy and my feet aren't that cold.

I grab a hairbrush and head for the living room. He's not there. I take a seat in the couch and start working on detangling my hair. It's a difficult job.

"Hey" I turn around in my seat.

"Hey yourself" I reply smiling. "Thanks for letting me use the shower by the way. Hope it's OK that I… um… made myself at home?" I add nodding towards the couch.

"Yeah, no problem" is all he says. He's actually quite friendly once I've gotten over the scary first impression. I hope he doesn't feel too bad about that…

"I… Desmond, you wouldn't happen to have anything to eat?" my stomach complies with my question by rumbling the moment I have finished the sentence.

He gives me one of his small laughs. He's really just breathing out air while raising a corner of his mouth. I catch my mind which is trying to wander off and lover my eyes hoping he isn't able to read my mind.

"Aye, it's about dinnertime anyways, so let's see what we've got" he walks over to the kitchen area and opens the refrigerator.

"Let me help!" I exclaim and jump over the back of the couch enthusiastically. "I love cooking".

Twenty minutes later we sit down at the dining table with plates of rice and chicken with vegetables. My table manners are completely gone after two minutes, due to the level of my hunger. Desmond ignores this politely.

"So… Callie…you said your plane crashed here?" I absentmindly pick up the last rice with my fingers and stuff it in my mouth.

"Yeah… But when I woke up I was in the middle of the jungle. There weren't any sight of it." I pause to think. "We could go out and look for it tomorrow, it's too dark now."

"No, that's not possible." He answers. I frown slightly. "What do you mean it's not possible?! I have to be near the wreckage when rescue gets here!"

"There won't be any rescue" he says in a low voice. I stare at him. "What?" is all I can say.

"This place. This island. It's not possible to find." I must look dumb folded. "No. I don't believe you" I mutter my eyes widening.

"I'm telling you the truth. The only people who know where it is are the Dharma Initiative. The ones who build this station. I can't even contact them. The only proof I have that they still exist is the monthly supply of food."

"But… but… what if there are other survivors? We have to go look for them"

"We can't. The alarm, remember?" I nod slowly "I have to push a button every 108 minutes. If I don't, it could lead to a catastrophe of sorts" he says while running his hand through his hair.

"I'll just go on my own then" I say while standing up to prove my point. But he's on his feet a second later. "No. It's too dangerous out there. You don't know what's in that jungle."

I remove the distance between us in two steps and look up at him furiously. "You don't even know me. So don't you try and tell me what I can't do!" I poke him hard in the chest with my finger. "I'm perfectly fine at taking care of my self." He looks irritated at my finger and suddenly grabs my wrist pulling me even closer to him. I gasp in surprise.

"Listen girl, if you want to go and get yourself killed, fine by me. But don't say I didn't warn you." He lets go of my wrist, picks up the dishes and walks past me to the sink.

I feel stupid. He showed me hospitality and I just called him a liar and haven't shown any gratitude. But he's right. I don't know what's out there.

"Listen… I'm sorry" I say. He leans against the countertop crossing his arms over his chest. "You're right. I don't know what's out there… but we have to go and see if anyone else survived. We can't just leave them alone in the jungle. Can't you understand?" I plead. He lets out a sight.

"Yes, of course. But we have to be back in time to push the button."


	6. Good morning

I don't own Lost... Please leave a review ;) Thanks!

**Chapter 6**

I go to bed early. The bunk bed is not as soft as my bed at home, but it will have to do. During the night I wake up to the sound of the alarm now and then. How is it possible to live with that thing?!

In the morning I gather the comforter around me and make my way into the living area. Desmond is sitting by the counter with a cup of coffee.

"Good morning" I say sleepily. "Morning" he replies. I take a seat next to him.

"How can you sleep when that alarm keeps going of?" I say while I try to stifle a yawn.

"It's not easy, I must admit" he laughs. "But I manage."

I nod slowly. "So… what's for breakfast?" I ask looking sideways at him.

"There's some cereal in the cupboard over there" he points at the one next to the refrigerator.

I leave the comforter by my seat and start rummaging through the things on the shelves. I find a white cardboard box with the Dharma logo and the simple word 'Cereal'.

"Do these Dharma people make every product or what?" I ask over my shoulder while looking for a bowl.

"Yeah, pretty much… To your right." I finally find a bowl and spoon. The milk is already sitting on the countertop so I make my way back and pull the comforter over my legs while sitting down.

"So, when are we going out in the jungle?" I ask hesitantly.

"I pushed the button an hour ago, so if you are ready by then, we'll leave right after the next time I've pushed it. That would be in around 45 minutes." He says while looking at his watch.

"Mhm" is the only reply I manage, since I've just stuffed a spoonful of cereal in my mouth.

50 minutes later we're out in the jungle. Desmond walks next to me looking in all directions. He insisted on bringing a rifle along.

"I forgot to ask you before…" I hesitate "…but who are the people you thought I was one of?"

"I haven't seen them. But I've heard them once I was out. They sort of whisper. The guy living in the Swan station before me told me about them. He called them 'The Hostiles'" He says while looking back at where we came from.

"So what happened to him? The guy before you?" I ask.

"He… They killed him" he answers looking down.

"I'm sor..." "Don't be. Besides, he shouldn't have left the Swan on his own." He interrupts.

We walk for a while without talking. I find it uncomfortable so I decide to break silence.

"Where exactly are we heading?" I ask while shoving some leaves out of my way.

"Towards the beach. If there are any survivors they would probably stay there hoping to be seen by passing ships."

We walk in a steady tempo. After some time the sound of waves becomes clearer so I break into a run. I can hear Desmond yelling "Hey! Wait!" sprinting after me.


	7. The beach

I don't own Lost… but I would like a review! Positive or negative doesn't matter, as long as it's constructive criticism ;)

**Chapter 7**

A moment later I am standing on a beautiful beach. It's just like the one on the posters in traveling agencies. "Wow" I mutter under my breath.

Desmond is next to me a moment later. "Don't run like that again. We need to make sure we don't get lost from each other." He says looking sideways at me. "Sorry" I mumble.

The beach is picturesque. Any other time that would have been great, but I had hoped there would be signs of a crashed airplane.

"There's no one here" I can hear the disappointment in my voice.

"If we walk along the beach in that direction we might see something" he says and points to our right side.

After walking for a while, without finding anything, I feel myself staring to panic. "What if they've already been rescued? What if they were looking for me yesterday, and thought I was dead when they couldn't find me?" I come to a halt. "I'm all alone on this stupid island… And I don't even know where in the world it's placed!" I feel my legs wobble and sit down in the sand realizing that I'm crying.

Desmond crouches down in front of me, pulling the rifle of his shoulder and placing it in the sand next to him. "Hey… Callie, calm down. You're not all alone, I'm still here, remember?" He says trying to comfort me. Without thinking I lean my forehead against his shoulder and continue to cry silently.

It isn't until he makes an awkward attempt to pad me on the back that I realize I'm crying against the shoulder of a man I haven't even known for 24 hours. And he doesn't even seem like the type who is good at comforting. I raise my head and start wiping my eyes, almost furiously.

"Sorry, I… it's just I'm sort of scared. What if we never get away from this place?"

"It's OK… I've been wondering the same thing for around three years… Ah, I shouldn't have said that. But that's how long I've been here."

"You're not exactly helping, you know?" I say staring to get up. "We better head back. If something happens to your station when you don't push the button in time, we would have to live in the jungle."

He gives me that same smile from yesterday. "Aye, that would be horrible."


	8. Darkness and smoke

I don't own Lost...

Now, I hope that someone (anyone?) is reading this... I have one more chapter finished, but I don't really know where I'm going with this story, so any suggestions are welcomed! ;D

**Chapter 8**

We walk back in silence. My mind is so far away I wouldn't even notice if Desmond said anything. I don't understand how we couldn't find the plane. Am I going to have to stay here forever if the rescue has already been here? What if they couldn't find us? Maybe Desmond has already given up hope of ever going back…

I guess I was lucky I got caught in that net trap. If I hadn't I would have been alone in the jungle. And something tells me that's not a thing to wish for with those Hostiles out and about…

I will have to make the best out of the situation. I can't survive in the jungle by myself so I have to be nice to Desmond otherwise he might not let me stay in the Swan Station with him.

"Is it okay if I stay in the Swan?" I ask hesitantly. Desmond looks surprised at me "Yeah sure! What did you think? That I was going to leave you alone in the jungle?" I feel my cheeks blush. It was a stupid question. "Besides, I like having someone to talk to. And you know how to cook too, so I really couldn't have asked for a better person to get caught in that trap." He smiles.

Good… he doesn't think I'm a burden… "I want to help, you know? Now that we're in this together we should share the chores. I don't want to be treated like a guest… We could take turns at pushing the button so that you can get some sleep."

"No thanks, I'll manage the button myself, but I'm glad you want to help with the other things."

When we arrive back at the station the alarm is already beeping softly. Desmond hurries to the computer and I follow him, watching as he enters a code. I hear a ticking noise behind me above the door frame and turn to see a counter resetting itself to 108 minutes.

"I know it looks easy, but I would rather do it myself. I hope you understand?" he gets up from the computer and looks me directly in the eye. His face is honest and his eyes are warm and brown. It feels like he's somehow able to slow down my brainwaves with his intense gaze. "Oh… I don't mind" is all I manage to say as I turn to exit the room.

Desmond gathers his backpack with water and food and his rifle and soon after we are once again out in the jungle. This time we head in another direction. After walking for 20 minutes Desmond points to a clearing "this is where I found you yesterday. Do you remember which way you came from?" I look around "yeah, it was this way" I reply and start walking towards where I first woke up in the jungle. After three more minutes of walking I recognize the spot. The leaves are squashed and my footprints are still in the mud.

Desmond is walking around looking for who knows what. I stand still, my eyes fixated on the place that is smeared with dirt and leaves. How in the world did I land here without breaking any bones?

Out of the blue there's a strange mechanical clicking noise behind me. I turn around and see trees falling in the distance. My feet are rooted to the spot in fear.

Suddenly Desmond is next to me, grabbing my wrist and pulling me with him as we run in the opposite direction of the noise. He runs towards a cluster of large trees. I can see that there is a small space between them where we might be safe. He lets me squeeze in between the trees first and joins me in the next moment.

We stand pressed against each other, both completely still. The noise keeps coming closer and closer, and I almost forget to breathe out of terror. Suddenly there's a large bang against one of the trees surrounding us, and the earth shakes slightly. Desmond wraps his arms around me and holds my head to his shoulder trying to protect me as we both crouch down to avoid the blows.

As abruptly as the pounding began it disappears, and I lift my head slowly looking at Desmond who is still holding me protectively. Then everything goes black and the clicking noise becomes louder than ever. There's a flash, and then another, leaving us both temporarily blinded.

"What _was_ th...?" I start to ask but he silences me by placing his hand over my mouth. I look at him in fear, thinking that whatever it is will start attacking again, but after a moment of silence Desmond removes his hand from my face and helps me get to my feet.

He looks out between the tree trunks and moves out from our hiding place. "I don't know what that was, Callie, but we should get moving before it comes back." I squeeze out from the bundle of trees and we start running back. Desmond is right in front of me, and I try my best to keep up.

After some time I spot something bright red between a few bushes in front of us. He has seen it too and we both steer towards it. I immediately recognize it. "It's my suitcase!" I say happily while Desmond drags it out of the shrubbery. "We're not that far away from home, I think we can take it slowly for the rest of the way and bring this back with us" he says giving me a wink. I silently wonder when exactly he began calling the Station 'home'.


End file.
